For many people, pets serve as surrogate children and satisfy the need to love and care for other living beings.
There’s just one problem: cleaning up cat waste can pose a safety risk to vulnerable people, such as elderly or pregnant women.
Christine (@chris1ine1hecapricorn), a nursing student, said in a TikTok post that she wears gloves when cleaning cat litter after learning about how toxoplasmosis can spread from cats to people. Her video had been viewed more than 898,000 times as of Saturday.
Translator I’m starting to dread nursing school 😭 #fypshi #TickTok #xybca #Toxoplasmosis #cat ♬ ls lt a crime by Sade – PlaylistsbyMolly
“After learning about toxoplasmosis, this is how I now clean small boxes,” reads text overlaid on the video.
The Daily Dot reached out to @chris1ine1hecapricorn via TikTok direct message regarding the video.
What is toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by a parasite that causes flu-like symptoms. It is often transmitted to humans by eating infected meat or coming into contact with cat feces. Pregnant women are at highest risk of contracting toxoplasmosis. If they become infected, they can spread the infection to their unborn baby, causing birth defects and miscarriage. Older people can also become infected. Cognitive decline As a result of infection.
Some viewers said they were worried about catching the virus while pregnant, and claimed they don’t clean their pets’ litter boxes themselves, leaving it to their partner or someone they live with to do so.
“I’m pregnant and have a cat, and my OB-GYN literally has it in my chart,” one commenter wrote. “Every month, she asks me (not personally) if I’m cleaning the litter box yet.”
“I only found out when I got pregnant and wasn’t allowed to clean the toilets,” another agreed. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this sooner?”
“My doctor said that as long as the cat doesn’t hunt raw meat outside or I don’t touch the cat litter box, I’m safe since I’m pregnant and my husband keeps her,” one person said. “My doctor has three kids and an indoor cat.”
How is toxoplasmosis treated?
Many cases of toxoplasmosis cause no symptoms and infection does not always require treatment, although severe cases in susceptible populations may require drug treatment.
How do I know if my cat has toxoplasmosis?
Most pet cats are unlikely to be infected with the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. Frequently People who eat animals outdoors, such as birds or rodents, that are contaminated with Toxoplasma are more likely to carry the parasite.
“The only way cats can get toxoplasmosis is if they live outdoors and eat birds or rodents, or eat unsafe raw foods that aren’t safely packaged, frozen or tested for bacteria!” one commenter wrote.
“I actually looked this up when I was pregnant and this only applies to cats that are primarily kept outdoors!”, agreed another. “Indoor cats are less likely to get this!”
“I was being paranoid at the time but I thought, no, not my beautiful kitty, she’s scared of the outside air and has never gone outside,” one commenter wrote.
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